Trucking Glossary: 120+ Terms Every Freight Broker and Carrier Should Know

Trucking has its own language. Between FMCSA regulations, insurance forms, safety scoring systems, and industry jargon, even experienced freight professionals run into terms they need to double-check.

This glossary covers the terms you actually encounter when vetting carriers, reviewing safety data, managing authority, or running a trucking operation. Each definition is written in plain English, not regulatory legalese. Where a term connects to a deeper guide or a CarrierBrief tool, we link directly to it.

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FMCSA and DOT Fundamentals

FMCSA (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration)

The federal agency within the US Department of Transportation that regulates commercial trucking and bus companies. FMCSA sets safety rules, licenses carriers and brokers, conducts investigations, and publishes the safety data that carrier vetting relies on. Created in 2000 as a standalone agency within DOT.

DOT Number (USDOT Number)

A unique identification number assigned to every commercial motor vehicle operator in the US. Required for any company operating commercial vehicles in interstate commerce or hauling hazardous materials. The DOT number identifies the carrier in FMCSA's system. It is not the same as an MC number. Look up any carrier by DOT number. Read our MC number vs DOT number guide for the distinction that matters.

MC Number (Motor Carrier Number)

An operating authority number issued by FMCSA to for-hire carriers, brokers, and freight forwarders. The MC number grants legal permission to operate for hire. A carrier can have an active DOT number but an inactive MC number, meaning they exist in FMCSA's system but are not authorized to haul freight for compensation. Check any MC number.

FF Number (Freight Forwarder Number)

The authority number issued to licensed freight forwarders. Works the same way as an MC number but applies specifically to forwarders who consolidate shipments.

Operating Authority

The legal permission granted by FMCSA to operate as a for-hire carrier, broker, or freight forwarder. Without active operating authority, a company cannot legally transport goods for compensation in interstate commerce. Authority can be active, inactive, pending, or revoked. Verify authority status. Read our authority history guide for why revocation patterns matter.

SAFER (Safety and Fitness Electronic Records)

FMCSA's public database where anyone can look up carrier safety information. Website: safer.fmcsa.dot.gov. The same data is available through our MC/DOT lookup with additional context.

Census File

The master database of all registered carriers maintained by FMCSA. Contains company information, authority status, fleet size, contact details, and safety ratings for every DOT-registered entity.

MCS-150 Form

The biennial update form that every registered carrier must file with FMCSA every 24 months. Contains company address, officer names, fleet size, mileage, and cargo types. When the MCS-150 is stale, every data field in the carrier's FMCSA record becomes unverified. Read our MCS-150 guide for why this single filing date controls the reliability of everything else in the record.

URS (Unified Registration System)

FMCSA's online system for applying for operating authority, updating registrations, and managing carrier accounts. This is where new carriers and brokers apply for their DOT and MC numbers.

Safety Ratings and Scores

CSA (Compliance, Safety, Accountability)

FMCSA's safety enforcement program launched in 2010. CSA uses data from inspections, crashes, and investigations to identify high-risk carriers and prioritize enforcement. When people say "CSA score," they mean BASIC percentiles. Read our CSA score guide for the full calculation mechanics, including a worked example showing how the same violations produce different percentiles for different-sized carriers.

BASIC (Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Categories)

The seven categories FMCSA uses to measure carrier safety. Each BASIC is scored as a percentile from 0 to 100. Lower is better. The seven BASICs are: Unsafe Driving, Hours-of-Service Compliance, Driver Fitness, Controlled Substances/Alcohol, Vehicle Maintenance, Hazardous Materials Compliance, and Crash Indicator. Not all BASICs carry equal weight in vetting. Unsafe Driving and HOS Compliance have the strongest crash correlation. Read our BASIC scores guide for the tier hierarchy. Check any carrier's BASIC scores.

SMS (Safety Measurement System)

The algorithm FMCSA uses to calculate BASIC percentiles. SMS pulls 24 months of inspection and crash data, applies severity and time weighting, then ranks carriers against peers with similar inspection counts. Updated monthly.

Severity Weight

A number from 1 to 10 assigned to every violation type based on how strongly it correlates with crash risk. A severity-10 violation (e.g., operating while disqualified, reckless driving) carries 10 times the impact of a severity-1 violation (e.g., missing mud flap) in BASIC calculations.

Time Weight

The decay factor applied to violations and crashes based on recency. Events in the most recent 6 months carry full weight (100%). Events between 6 and 12 months carry two-thirds weight (66.7%). Events between 12 and 24 months carry one-third weight (33.3%). After 24 months, events drop off entirely.

Intervention Threshold

The BASIC percentile above which FMCSA may take enforcement action. Unsafe Driving, HOS Compliance, and Crash Indicator trigger at the 65th percentile. Vehicle Maintenance, Driver Fitness, Controlled Substances, and Hazmat Compliance trigger at the 80th percentile. Check how close any carrier is to thresholds.

Safety Rating

A grade assigned by FMCSA after a compliance review: Satisfactory, Conditional, or Unsatisfactory. Over 90% of carriers are "Not Rated" because they've never had a compliance review. The rating doesn't expire but becomes less meaningful over time. Read our safety rating comparison guide for when a Conditional carrier is actually safer than a Satisfactory one. Check any carrier's rating.

Satisfactory

The best FMCSA safety rating. Means the carrier passed a compliance review with adequate safety management controls. But check the review date. A Satisfactory rating from 2018 tells you less than current BASIC scores do.

Conditional

FMCSA safety rating meaning deficiencies were found during a compliance review but the carrier can still operate. Often driven by administrative failures (incomplete driver files, documentation gaps), not necessarily unsafe operations. Read our safety rating guide for how to evaluate Conditional carriers.

Unsatisfactory

The worst FMCSA safety rating. The carrier lacks adequate safety management controls. May face an out-of-service order. Do not book a carrier with an Unsatisfactory rating under any circumstances.

Not Rated / Unrated

A carrier that has never received a compliance review. This is the default state for over 90% of carriers and is not a red flag. Read our unrated carrier guide for the 5 checks that replace a missing rating.

Compliance Review (CR)

An on-site examination of a carrier's operations conducted by FMCSA investigators. Covers driver qualification, vehicle maintenance, dispatch practices, HOS compliance, accident monitoring, and hazmat handling. Produces the safety rating. Read our compliance review guide for how the process works and who gets selected.

New Entrant Safety Audit

A mandatory audit for carriers in their first 18 months. Less intensive than a full compliance review. Results in pass/fail, not a safety rating. Read our new entrant risk guide for the risk profile at each authority age milestone.

Peer Group

The group of carriers with similar inspection counts that a carrier is ranked against for BASIC percentile calculation. A carrier with 8 inspections is compared against other carriers with roughly 8 inspections, not against mega-carriers. This is why small-carrier BASIC scores are volatile.

DataQs

FMCSA's system for challenging data accuracy in inspection, crash, or census records. Carriers can request correction of factual errors (wrong DOT number, mismatched violation code). DataQs is a data correction system, not an appeals process for inspector judgment. Read our DataQs guide for which violations are worth challenging and which are not.

Inspections and Violations

Roadside Inspection

A safety examination of a commercial motor vehicle and/or driver conducted by law enforcement, usually at weigh stations or during traffic stops. Results are reported to FMCSA and become part of the carrier's safety record for 24 months. View any carrier's inspection history. Read our inspection history guide for how to read patterns across inspections.

Inspection Level

CVSA defines six levels of roadside inspections:

• Level 1 (North American Standard): The most thorough. Covers driver credentials, HOS records, and full vehicle mechanical inspection including under-vehicle components. A clean Level 1 is the strongest positive signal in a carrier's record.
• Level 2 (Walk-Around): Driver plus visual walk-around vehicle inspection. No under-vehicle examination.
• Level 3 (Driver Only): Driver credentials and HOS records only. No vehicle inspection.
• Level 4 (Special Study): Examination of a specific item, usually for research purposes.
• Level 5 (Vehicle Only): Vehicle inspection without a driver present.
• Level 6 (Radioactive Materials): Level 1 plus radiological screening.

OOS (Out of Service)

When an inspector finds a violation severe enough that the driver or vehicle cannot safely continue operating. The truck is parked or the driver is grounded until the problem is corrected. OOS violations carry additional weight in BASIC calculations.

OOS Rate (Out-of-Service Rate)

The percentage of inspections resulting in out-of-service orders. Tracked separately for drivers (national average: 5.51%) and vehicles (national average: 20.72%). Read our OOS rate guide for the full interpretation framework including fleet-size benchmarks. Compare any carrier's rates.

Violation

A specific safety deficiency found during a roadside inspection. Each violation has a standardized code, a BASIC category, and a severity weight from 1 to 10.

Clean Inspection

An inspection with no violations found. Clean inspections dilute the impact of past violations on BASIC scores by increasing the total inspection count without adding to the violation total. Pursuing clean inspections is the fastest strategy for improving CSA scores.

CVSA (Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance)

The organization that sets standards for roadside inspections across the US, Canada, and Mexico. CVSA defines inspection levels, out-of-service criteria, and inspection procedures.

Cargo Securement Violation

A citation for improperly restrained, blocked, braced, or tied-down cargo. Cargo securement violations feed into the Vehicle Maintenance BASIC and carry severity weights from 1 to 10. Read our cargo securement guide for why these violations create a different kind of broker liability than other violation types.

Crashes

Crash (DOT-Reportable)

An incident involving a commercial motor vehicle that results in a fatality, an injury requiring transport to a medical facility, or a vehicle being towed from the scene. Crashes are recorded regardless of fault. View any carrier's crash history.

Crash Indicator

The BASIC that measures crash involvement. Unlike other BASICs, the Crash Indicator percentile is not publicly visible to brokers or shippers. Only the carrier and FMCSA can see it. Brokers can see raw crash data (dates, locations, severity) but not the percentile ranking.

Crash Severity Weighting

Fatal crashes are weighted 3x, injury crashes 2x, and towaway-only crashes 1x in the Crash Indicator BASIC calculation.

Preventability Determination

FMCSA's process for reviewing whether a carrier could have reasonably prevented a crash. If deemed not preventable, the crash may be excluded from the Crash Indicator BASIC. Does not remove the crash from the public record.

Insurance and Financial Responsibility

BMC-91 / BMC-91X

The form filed with FMCSA proving a carrier has liability insurance meeting federal minimums. Filed by the insurance company (BMC-91) or self-certified (BMC-91X). This is the primary proof of financial responsibility. FMCSA data can lag actual coverage changes by 1 to 3 days. Read our insurance verification guide for the two-step process that catches the lag. Check insurance status.

BMC-84 (Surety Bond)

A $75,000 surety bond required for freight brokers. A third-party surety company guarantees the broker's financial obligations. When carriers file claims, the surety investigates and decides whether to pay. Read our broker bond guide for why claims against a BMC-84 are slower and more adversarial than claims against a BMC-85.

BMC-85 (Trust Fund Agreement)

An alternative to the BMC-84. The broker deposits $75,000 in actual cash at a financial institution. Claims are processed by the trustee. Generally faster and less adversarial than BMC-84 claims. Less common because it requires $75K in cash upfront. Verify broker bonds.

BMC-34 (Cargo Insurance Filing)

An optional filing proving a carrier has cargo insurance. FMCSA does not require cargo insurance for most carriers, but most brokers require it contractually.

Financial Responsibility

The legal requirement for carriers to maintain minimum insurance coverage. Minimums: $750,000 for general freight, $1,000,000 for oil transport, $5,000,000 for most hazardous materials. These are federal minimums. Market requirements from brokers and shippers are typically higher. Read our insurance requirements guide for the gap between regulatory and market standards. Calculate minimums by cargo type.

Cargo Insurance

Insurance covering loss of or damage to freight during transportation. Separate from liability insurance (which covers bodily injury and property damage to third parties). Not required by FMCSA for most carriers, but required contractually by most brokers and shippers. Typical contractual minimum: $100,000 per load.

COI (Certificate of Insurance)

A document issued by an insurance company summarizing a carrier's coverage. COIs can be forged. Always verify by calling the insurer directly. Read our insurance verification guide for the 12-item COI verification checklist.

Contingent Cargo Insurance

Insurance purchased by freight brokers that covers cargo damage when the carrier's own cargo insurance is insufficient. Not required by FMCSA but commonly carried by brokerages.

Authority, Registration, and Carrier Types

For-Hire Authority

Operating authority permitting a carrier to transport others' goods for compensation. Requires an MC number and liability insurance on file with FMCSA.

Private Carrier

A company that transports its own goods using its own trucks. Needs a DOT number but not an MC number. Cannot haul freight for other parties for compensation.

Exempt Carrier

A carrier transporting commodities exempt from certain FMCSA economic regulations (e.g., unprocessed agricultural products). Still subject to safety regulations.

Broker Authority

Operating authority permitting a company to arrange freight transportation without operating trucks. Requires an MC number and a $75,000 bond (BMC-84 or BMC-85). Read our freight broker vs carrier guide for the operational differences.

Freight Broker

A licensed intermediary that matches shippers with carriers. Brokers do not own trucks, employ drivers, or physically handle freight. Their liability structure is different from carriers. Read our broker liability guide for when brokers can be held responsible for a carrier's accident.

New Entrant

A carrier with operating authority less than 18 months old. Subject to mandatory safety audit and enhanced monitoring. Read our new entrant risk guide for the risk profile at each authority age milestone and why a blanket 12-month cutoff rejects many safe carriers.

Owner-Operator

A carrier who owns and operates their own truck(s), typically 1 to 3 power units. Owner-operators may operate under their own MC authority or be leased to another carrier. Standard vetting benchmarks produce misleading results for owner-operators because the data sample is one truck. Read our owner-operator vetting guide for the adjusted approach.

Revocation

When FMCSA cancels a carrier's operating authority. Causes include insurance lapse, safety violations, enforcement action, or failure to maintain registration. A carrier with revoked authority cannot legally operate for hire. Check authority history.

Reinstatement

Restoring previously revoked authority. The gap between revocation and reinstatement is one of the most revealing data points in carrier vetting. A 3-day gap is administrative. A 5-month gap followed by a new entity name is a chameleon indicator. Read our authority history guide.

Prior Revocation Flag

A field on every carrier's FMCSA record indicating whether their authority was previously revoked ("Y" or "N"). Set for any prior revocation regardless of reason. An insurance-related revocation resolved in days is different from a safety-related revocation followed by a new entity. The flag tells you to investigate. The timeline tells you what happened.

Power Unit

A truck or tractor. The primary measure of fleet size in FMCSA data. The count comes from the MCS-150 filing and may be outdated if the filing is overdue. Read our fleet size guide for what power units actually tell you about risk at each fleet size tier.

Fraud and Risk

Chameleon Carrier

A carrier shut down by FMCSA that reopens under a new name, DOT number, and MC authority to escape its safety history. Same people, same trucks, different paperwork. A chameleon carrier's individual record looks clean because it's new. The fraud shows up in connections between records: shared officers, shared addresses, shared contact information with revoked entities. Read our chameleon carrier detection guide.

Double Brokering

When an entity accepts a load from a broker and re-brokers it to another carrier without the original broker's knowledge or consent. The broker's carrier vetting, insurance verification, and safety checks are bypassed because an unknown carrier actually hauls the freight. Read our double brokering guide for the 14 warning signs.

Carrier Identity Theft

When a fraudster uses a legitimate carrier's DOT number, MC number, and publicly available FMCSA data to impersonate that carrier and book loads. The real carrier's record passes vetting because it's real. The person on the phone is not. The single most effective countermeasure: call the phone number listed in FMCSA's records, not the number the caller provided. Read our carrier identity theft guide.

Cargo Theft

Theft of freight during transportation. Often facilitated through double brokering or carrier identity theft schemes. A fraudulent entity books a load under a stolen identity, picks up the freight, and disappears.

Legal and Liability

Negligent Selection

The legal theory that a freight broker who fails to exercise reasonable care in choosing a carrier can be held liable when that carrier causes harm. The standard of care is defined by what safety data was freely and publicly available at the time of booking. Read our broker liability guide for the 5 data points plaintiffs use against brokers.

Vicarious Liability

Holding one party responsible for another's actions based on the relationship between them. For brokers, vicarious liability can apply when the broker exercised significant control over the carrier's operations (routing, scheduling, driver assignment). Most courts protect brokers under the independent contractor doctrine, but the protection erodes when broker conduct resembles an employer.

Carmack Amendment

The federal statute governing cargo liability in interstate transportation. Under Carmack, the motor carrier that physically transports freight is liable for loss or damage to that cargo while in their possession. The freight broker is generally not liable for cargo damage under Carmack unless they contractually assumed liability.

Carrier Vetting

The process of verifying a carrier's registration, authority, insurance, safety record, and compliance history before booking. Protects against negligent selection claims and operational risk. Read our carrier vetting checklist guide for the 12-step process, or our FMCSA record check guide for the sequential verification approach.

Carrier Onboarding

The process of collecting and verifying documents (W-9, COI, carrier agreement, carrier profile) and performing FMCSA safety verification before approving a new carrier. Read our carrier onboarding guide for which documents actually protect you and which are just paper.

Carrier Monitoring

Ongoing tracking of changes in a carrier's safety profile, insurance, and authority after initial onboarding. Some changes (insurance cancellation, authority revocation) require immediate action. Others (gradual BASIC score increase) can wait for the next quarterly review. Read our carrier monitoring guide.

Hours of Service (HOS)

Hours of Service (HOS)

Federal regulations limiting how long commercial drivers can operate before they must rest. The rules exist to prevent fatigue-related crashes. Read our HOS rules guide for the current rules with a worked example showing how the 14-hour window, not the 11-hour limit, is what actually ends most driving days. Calculate available driving hours.

11-Hour Driving Limit

Maximum driving time after 10 consecutive hours off duty. Only counts time behind the wheel with the truck in motion.

14-Hour On-Duty Window

All driving must occur within 14 hours of coming on duty. This clock runs continuously and cannot be paused by breaks. Dock waits, fueling, and pre-trip inspections all consume the 14-hour window without consuming driving time. This is the rule that actually constrains most driving days.

30-Minute Break Rule

A 30-minute break is required after 8 cumulative hours of driving. The break can be off-duty, on-duty not driving (fueling, loading), or sleeper berth time. Does not pause the 14-hour clock.

60/7 and 70/8 Cycle

Weekly limits on total on-duty time. 60 hours in 7 consecutive days (for carriers not operating daily) or 70 hours in 8 consecutive days (for carriers operating daily). The cycle is rolling, not calendar-based.

34-Hour Restart

Resets the 60/7 or 70/8 cycle to zero by taking 34 consecutive hours off duty that include two periods between 1:00 AM and 5:00 AM. Optional.

ELD (Electronic Logging Device)

A device hardwired to the truck's engine that automatically records driving time. Required for most interstate commercial drivers since 2019. ELDs replaced paper logbooks and significantly improved HOS data quality.

Sleeper Berth Split

Allows drivers to split their 10-hour off-duty requirement into two segments (7/3 or 8/2). The 7-hour (or 8-hour) portion in the sleeper berth pauses the 14-hour clock.

Short-Haul Exemption

An HOS exemption for drivers operating within a 150 air-mile radius of their reporting location who return within 14 hours. Exempt from ELD requirement and some record-keeping requirements. Driving and on-duty limits still apply.

Adverse Driving Conditions Exception

Allows a driver to extend the 11-hour driving limit and 14-hour window by up to 2 hours when unexpected adverse conditions (severe weather, road closures) are encountered after the driver has started driving.

Fleet and Equipment

CMV (Commercial Motor Vehicle)

Any vehicle used in commerce that weighs over 10,001 lbs, carries 9+ passengers for compensation, carries 16+ passengers regardless of compensation, or transports placarded hazardous materials. This threshold triggers DOT registration and FMCSA oversight.

GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating)

Maximum allowable weight of a vehicle including its own weight, cargo, fuel, passengers, and equipment. Set by the manufacturer. Vehicles with GVWR over 10,001 lbs are subject to FMCSA regulations.

Hazmat (Hazardous Materials)

Materials designated as hazardous under 49 CFR Part 172. Carriers hauling hazmat in placardable quantities need a hazmat endorsement, higher insurance minimums ($1M to $5M), and are subject to the Hazmat Compliance BASIC.

Intermodal

Freight transportation using more than one mode (truck, rail, ship) without handling the cargo when changing modes. FMCSA regulates the trucking legs of intermodal moves.

DVIR (Driver Vehicle Inspection Report)

The daily pre-trip and post-trip inspection report drivers are required to complete. Documents the condition of the vehicle before and after each trip. Thorough DVIRs prevent the majority of vehicle out-of-service violations.

Cargo Securement

The methods and equipment used to restrain freight during transportation: chains, straps, binders, blocking, bracing, and tie-downs. Federal rules specify minimum aggregate working load limits based on cargo weight and commodity-specific requirements for items like metal coils, logs, machinery, and pipe. Read our cargo securement guide.

Broker and Shipper Terms

Rate Confirmation (Rate Con)

The document confirming agreed terms for a specific load: pickup/delivery locations, dates, rate, and accessorial charges. Functions as the contract between broker and carrier for that load.

Detention

Time a driver spends waiting at a shipper or receiver beyond the allowed free time. Wastes driver hours, eats into the 14-hour window, and costs carriers money. Most rate confirmations allow 2 hours of free time before detention charges begin. Calculate detention charges.

Fuel Surcharge (FSC)

An additional charge applied to freight rates based on diesel price fluctuations. Calculated as: (current diesel price minus base price) divided by MPG, multiplied by trip miles. Calculate fuel surcharge.

Accessorial Charges

Fees beyond the base linehaul rate: liftgate, inside delivery, residential delivery, detention, layover, lumper fees, and others. Should be agreed upon in the rate confirmation before tendering.

BOL (Bill of Lading)

The legal document traveling with freight from pickup to delivery. Describes the cargo, lists shipper and consignee, and serves as a receipt. Drivers should verify the BOL matches the actual cargo before signing.

POD (Proof of Delivery)

Documentation confirming freight was delivered, usually a signed BOL copy. Required for carriers to invoice. Missing PODs are one of the most common reasons for payment delays.

Lumper

A third-party worker hired to load or unload freight at a warehouse. Lumper fees range from $50 to $500 depending on the commodity and facility.

Deadhead

Miles driven without a load, typically between the driver's current location and the next pickup. Deadhead miles generate no revenue but consume fuel, driving time, and HOS hours. Carriers price loads partly based on the deadhead required to reach the pickup.

Factoring (Freight Factoring)

A financing arrangement where a factoring company purchases a broker's or carrier's invoices at a discount and pays immediately, then collects from the shipper. Common among new brokerages to bridge the cash flow gap between paying carriers and collecting from shippers. Read our freight brokerage startup guide for how the cash flow gap works.

Quick Pay

An accelerated payment option where the carrier receives payment within 2 to 5 business days instead of the standard 15 to 30 days, usually in exchange for a small fee (typically 1% to 3% of the invoice).

Per Diem

A daily allowance for driver expenses (meals, incidental costs) while away from home. Some carriers pay per diem directly to drivers. It also has tax implications as a deduction for self-employed drivers.

Key Regulations and Systems

49 CFR (Code of Federal Regulations, Title 49)

The section of federal law covering transportation. Key parts:

• Part 382: Controlled substances and alcohol testing
• Part 383: Commercial driver's license standards
• Part 387: Minimum levels of financial responsibility (insurance)
• Part 390: General applicability and definitions
• Part 391: Driver qualification
• Part 392: Driving of commercial motor vehicles
• Part 393: Parts and accessories for safe operation (including cargo securement)
• Part 395: Hours of service
• Part 396: Vehicle inspection, repair, and maintenance

FMCSR (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations)

The collective term for all safety regulations in 49 CFR Parts 350 through 399.

UCR (Unified Carrier Registration)

An annual registration and fee requirement for interstate motor carriers, brokers, freight forwarders, and leasing companies. The fee for brokers is $176 per year (2026 rate). Failure to register can result in fines.

IRP (International Registration Plan)

A registration reciprocity agreement among US states, DC, and Canadian provinces. Allows commercial vehicles to travel across jurisdictions using a single plate with fees apportioned by miles driven in each jurisdiction.

IFTA (International Fuel Tax Agreement)

A fuel tax agreement allowing carriers to file a single quarterly fuel tax return instead of filing separately in every state. IFTA decals on the truck indicate compliance.

BOC-3 (Blanket of Coverage)

A form designating process agents in every state where a carrier or broker operates. Process agents accept legal documents on the entity's behalf. Required for both carriers and brokers as a condition of operating authority.

NCCDB (National Consumer Complaint Database)

FMCSA's system for filing complaints about motor carriers, brokers, and freight forwarders. Complaints about safety violations, double brokering, identity theft, and coercion are filed here. Read our FMCSA complaint guide for how to file a complaint that actually gets results.

Data and Reporting Systems

MCMIS (Motor Carrier Management Information System)

FMCSA's internal database containing inspection, crash, compliance review, and enforcement data. Powers SMS calculations and BASIC scores. Publicly available portions power carrier safety lookup tools.

ISS (Inspection Selection System)

The algorithm at weigh stations that determines which trucks to inspect. Carriers with higher BASIC scores are more likely to be selected. This creates a compounding effect: poor scores lead to more inspections, which can generate more violations, which can push scores higher.

PRISM (Performance and Registration Information Systems Management)

Links federal safety data to state vehicle registration, allowing states to deny registration for non-compliant carriers.

MCSAP (Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program)

Federal grant program that funds state-level commercial vehicle safety enforcement, including roadside inspections conducted by state police and DOT officers.

Still Looking for Something?

If a term is missing from this glossary, it should be here. Search for any carrier, broker, or DOT number on CarrierBrief to see safety data, authority status, and insurance filings. Or browse all free tools to find the calculator, checker, or lookup you need.

This glossary is updated as we add new guides and tools to the site. If there is a term you think belongs here, let us know.